Muan
Muan is the name of the county (gun) and town (eup) in Jeollanam-do. Best known for its White Lotus Festival (tel. 061/450-5319) in early August, the Muan Hoesan Baek-ryeonji (tel. 061/285-1323) is considered the largest habitat for the rare flower in all of Asia. Entrance to the gardens is W3,000 for adults, W2,000 for children.
Muan is hoping for some revitalization with the opening of the Muan Airport (tel. 061/455-2114; http://muan.airport.co.kr). Currently, there are domestic flights daily to and from Gimpo Airport, serviced by Korean Airlines (tel. 061/985-2000) and Asiana Airlines (tel. 061/453-8811), and there are plans to add flights to and from Jeju-do as well. There will be international flights to and from Shanghai, Beijing, Shenyang, and Guangzhou in China, serviced by China Eastern Airlines (tel. 061/453-8301), Shenzhen Airlines (tel. 02/766-9933), and China Southern Airlines (tel. 062/1588-9503). Avis (tel. 061/452-2873) provides car-rental service. There are four limousine buses daily to and from Gwangju and Mokpo airports, costing W4,800 for a 60-minute ride.
To get to Muan by train, you can catch a train bound for Mokpo from Seoul Station and get off at Illo Station. From there, take local bus no. 800 to Muan. To get to Muan via bus, take a bus from Seoul's Gangnam Express Bus Terminal (Seoul subway line 3, exit 1) to Muan. There are two buses a day, 8:30am and 4:20pm, and it's about a 4-hour ride from Seoul.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
